Blue Moon, Blue Eyes (Rewritten)
By: Aubrie1234
Orion was...interesting, to say the least. He was different from Artemis, and yet there were facets of him in the werewolf. He was mostly fun-loving, if a little ditzy, and seemed to be very affectionate, at least to Holly. And as she talked with him to keep him calm while Butler measured him, she noticed Orion's vocabulary increasing. She and Butler also wanted to know if he knew anything about being a werewolf, but Orion couldn't answer them. He was barely a day old, what could he say? This was not a case like in the movies, where your super-powered side knew everything, Orion was on as much of a learning curve as Holly and Butler were.
"All done." Butler affirmed and Orion couldn't get away fast enough, curling up next to Holly and giving Butler a small glare. They'd moved to Artemis' small lab to take the measurements and it had been a fight to make sure Orion didn't accidentally knock something over. He still wore the ruins and rags of old clothes Artemis had put on before the change, as well as the coin necklace. It stood out against his fur more than his ragged clothes did, somehow, and Holly was surprised to find that he still wanted to wear it in this state. She was almost certain he would've just put it away or even tried to use it in one of his schemes, so she was astonished when she learned that he'd cared enough to put it in a necklace. Maybe he was more decent that she had been led to believe. Holly was taken out of these musings by her comm link, which vibrated from its position on her wrist. She'd taken her helmet off earlier so as not to spook Orion, but now it seemed she was needed.
"Stay here for a minute, okay? I'm not going anywhere." Holly said. Orion whined and tried to follow her as she went to grab her helmet but her glare made him back off.
"-lly? Holly, can you hear me?" It was Foaly.
"I'm here."
"Okay, so, it seems the Council are starting to get only the LEP for not doing more about this moonrunner situation and Root wants you to go out and search for it again. The reason Root himself isn't barking this to you is because he's trying to buy more time before he has to make a decision."
"Got it." Holly glanced at the moonometer in her comm, "There's still enough moonlight out for me to make a few more flights." She glanced at Orion, "I'll see what I can do."
"Good luck." Foaly gave a neigh, "Saw the trick you did with him. Don't know how you got him under control, but it's a positive sign."
"Thanks." Holly took off her helmet and turned back to Orion.
"Let me guess." Butler sighed, "You need to go out again and track down the werewolf because of pressure from the Council."
"Unfortunately." Holly nodded, petting Orion, "Orion, I need to leave for a while. Be good for Butler, okay?"
"Don't leave!" protested the werewolf, "Don't leave!"
"I have to if we wanna help Artemis." This caused Orion to pause. Holly had a feeling that Orion understood that he was a cause of Artemis' suffering or at least knew who Artemis was, since they seemed to mentally speak with one another from what the teen had accounted.
"...Okay." he relented, "Be careful." He nudged up against her and gave a low growl.
"I'll be careful." she promised. After she helped Butler take Orion back to the cell, she left the manor to look for the moonrunner once more. After she was gone, Butler looked into the room and saw a gloomy Orion chewing on another toy, this time a non-squeaking one. He knew that he should make an effort to bond with Orion, show him that he could trust Butler as much as he trusted Holly, but the manservant didn't dare to without the elf. He didn't want to accidentally anger the young werewolf and make things worse, so he had no choice but to wait.
When Artemis woke up, he felt very, very sore. He supposed that came with the first transformation, after all. He remembered none of it and when he woke, he found one of the toys in his mouth. He spat it out, a little disgusted as he wiped off the drool that had formed while it rested in his mouth. He examined his stash of toys, his surroundings, his tattered clothes, and closed a hand around the coin. He was surprised it was still there and that there were no signs he'd tried to break out. Perhaps his werewolf side was more good-natured than he had first thought. Standing up, he stretched to help get the soreness out of his body and moved to the door, knocking on it and hoping that someone was outside to release him. He stepped back when the window was opened and smiled when he saw Butler just outside.
"Thank you, Butler." he said after the large man opened the door, where they began walking towards the stairs, "How was last night?"
"Well." said Butler, "There was a lot to be learned. Measurements were taken and we learned a bit about your werewolf side."
"Oh?" Artemis was curious of this, "I don't remember anything. Could you enlighten me?"
"Your other side is named Orion and is certainly quite the fun-loving creature, even if he does have trust issues." Artemis nodded and mentally tried to look for Orion. There was a presence there, but when he tried to prod it, he was quickly kicked away from the area. Orion probably wanted to catch up on some rest, Butler should too, but not before Artemis learned of everything that had happened.
"And Holly? Did she find the moonrunner?"
"A few times. She wasn't able to mark it for Retrieval, however, as it kept running too fast and disappearing. Her thermals couldn't find it, so I suspect that it has help from humans or other fairies."
"I see." They began going up the stairs to the main floor, "How long do you think you can stay awake, old friend?"
"A while longer, why?"
"After I get a shower and change, I am going to visit Mother for a while, so you can get a nap. Has Juliet returned?"
"Not yet, but she should be back later this morning." They'd reached the top of the stairs and now headed for the ones leading to the second floor.
"Good. Do you mind letting her know what's going on so she can help keep an eye on things?"
"I will. And I suppose you want me to take my nap after she returns?"
"If possible." Artemis raised a hand to examine his nails/claws, "I would feel safer that way." Butler could understand that. He himself felt nervous about letting Juliet keep an eye on Artemis with his changes, even for a short while. She was trained as a Butler, even if she wasn't completely there yet, and despite what had happened a year ago, Juliet had become more experienced and grown. But, just in case, Butler would make sure that he'd awaken if something went awry.
"And what of your mother? Are you sure about visiting her?"Artemis paused at the bottom of the second set of stairs, staring up to the top, unsure.
"...I don't know." he admitted, "I want to check on her and I think she'll keep me calm. I don't think I'll hurt her, I'll even make sure to be extra careful with her. I don't want her hurt because of me." He dropped his head, "Even though it wasn't my fault, I already paid for it." He raised his head and turned to Butler, as if having shaken off the feelings in seconds, "Please pick out some normal clothes for me." Butler raised an eyebrow.
"Normal clothes? Not a suit?"
"Not at the moment. I'm afraid of something happening and my suit getting in the way. As much as I dislike it, it would constrict me in a crisis. However, that doesn't mean that I'll give them up completely, I just can't wear a suit at the moment."
"Understood. I'll have some waiting for you."
"Good." Artemis turned to go up the stairs, then paused, "And Holly?"
"She's sleeping in her room. She only had a nap before her job yesterday, after all."
"Good for her." the teen murmured and continued up the stairs, Butler not far behind him. As soon as he stripped himself of the rags and laid them on the counter for later (he'd reuse them for his nightly transformations according to the moon), he took a moment to gaze at himself in the bathroom mirror. He hadn't tried the day before, having desperately trying to come up with a plan to save himself and having spent some of that time dead asleep. He'd been told how the werewolf had clawed him up and it had left scars, last time they checked, but his skin was mostly unblemished with the exception of the bite mark lingering on his shoulder and chest. He ran a finger over the holes and wondered why he'd been cursed. Sure, his family had enemies, but they were mostly aimed at his father, not himself. This werewolf could have only come from a magic source, too, and the only ones who were out for his head were the Fairy Council and possibly Opal Koboi, but she'd been knocked into a coma after their last encounter. However, that didn't mean she wasn't out of the running. With how much the LEP disliked the Council yet followed their orders, Artemis knew it might be hard to convince Holly, Foaly, and even Root that the Council were suspects for the moment. Opal was not as much of a problem to investigate, thanks to Foaly, but they still had to keep their options open. Sighing, Artemis relieved himself of his thoughts by stepping into the shower.
As he felt the water flow over his body and adjust to the temperature, he felt Orion waking up. The werewolf gave him a mental image of yawning and stretching in wolf form before laying down and saying, Morning.
Morning to you too. Artemis answered, I suppose last night went well for you.
Well well. he said, Holly was pretty. Artemis blushed, noting that the wolf was now trying to use full sentences. That was good.
Holly's not pretty.
Butler was scary.
Butler isn't scary.
You're a dummy. Orion stuck his tongue out. Artemis sighed.
Go back to sleep and leave me alone.
No. More sticking of the tongue.
Let me take my shower.
No. Artemis suddenly felt himself mentally pushed to the side and involuntarily physically stick his tongue out, This is my body, I'm in control! He tried to push Orion back but his greater mental strength wasn't about to clear out the werewolf.
No no. Orion said and then slightly started the change. By 'slightly,' he only grew fur all over Artemis' body and stopped, but growing the fur was still painful.
What are you doing?!
Fun! Orion then had Artemis shake himself to make the water go everywhere and panted like the puppy he thought he was. Artemis gave an angry mental sigh.
Give my body back, now. I am trying to get my shower done!
Fiiiiine. Orion whined and seceded, making the transformation to reverse and causing Artemis even more pain.
"I hate that little mutt." he muttered darkly and he tried to get back to his shower. However, Orion's control over his transformation was very precise and he wondered if he could eventually learn how to do the same, where he could only change a part of himself and not fully revert to the werewolf. It would take a lot of practice and work, but he was certain he could do it. After all, he was Artemis Fowl. What couldn't he do?
Juliet wasn't sure what she should have been expecting when she returned from her small trip, but it wasn't her brother waiting for her and asking if she could look after Artemis for a few hours while he tried to get some sleep in. Yet she wasn't surprised when she found out the reason, which she probably should have been. Maybe it was because she'd lost her surprise for all things magical after what happened the past year or so. Maybe, maybe not, but she promised Butler and was now on guard outside of the bathroom near Artemis' room. She'd quickly peeked in to make sure he was still there and, upon confirmation, resumed a station outside the door. She found the waiting and watching boring but knew Butler had given her a very big job and she wasn't about to let him down. She could at least do this one thing for him, but Juliet doubted it would be restricted to 'one' thing. She was taken out of these thoughts when she heard the shower shut off and straightened up. After a few minutes Artemis exited and gave her a nod, acknowledging her presence.
"Thank you for taking on this job for Butler, Juliet." said Artemis as he began walking down to his parents' bedroom, Juliet close behind, "How was your trip?"
"Fine, thanks for asking. So..." She wanted to know more but felt awkward asking, "Orion?" Artemis gave an irritated sigh. It was obvious he didn't like his other side already.
"He is an obnoxious, toddler-minded werewolf who wants too much fun and interferes when I'm trying to take a shower." he explained tersely, "I'd rather not talk about him at the moment."
"Yes sir." Juliet backed off the topic despite wanting to learn more and so tried to observe what the teenager was wearing. He'd asked for 'normal' clothes and so Butler had to borrow some of Juliet's, seeing as no one else in the manor actually wore 'normal' clothes enough to have a small stockpile of them. She thought he looked nice in a plain blue shirt and gray sweatpants. He'd declined shoes for the moment and so was walking barefoot, not making a single sound even with the quietness around them. They made their way down the hall to the bedroom where Angeline Fowl was staying and upon arriving at the door, Artemis raised a hand before pausing.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose." he murmured to himself before knocking, where Angeline called him in. Juliet made sure the door was closed before setting up guard, yet she took the time to listen in on her temporary charge.
"Mother?" Artemis peeked his head into the room, wary. It had been over a year since his mother's recovery but he was still nervous. Compounded with the fact that he could now transform into a very dangerous animal, his worries were very real.
"Arty! Please, come in!" She'd been relaxing on the bed with a book and now put it away, sitting up and gesturing for him to come closer. Artemis did so, slowly and cautiously, but when he was close enough, Angeline got to her feet and pulled him into a hug. Artemis froze, unused to this kind of contact and feared that the suddenness of it would cause him to change, but to his surprise, Orion was completely fine with it. In fact, he gestured for Artemis to hug her back, which the teen did.
Who's this?
This is Mother. If you hurt her, I'll kill you.
Done. Orion nodded in understanding as Angeline pulled away to look at him, taking Artemis' face in her hands.
"I wish you'd come see me more often, Arty. I hate not being able to see you." Despite her 'miraculous' recovery, the doctor had advised that she continue to stay in bed, just to make sure that she was okay. From what Artemis had deduced, she should have been cleared months ago. It seems that he'd have to look into making a scam case against him soon…
"I know, Mother."
"Call me Mum! You don't have to be so formal, Arty." She sat down on the bed again and the dark-haired boy joined her. Angeline grabbed a tablet that had been laying beside her and showed it to her son, "The doctors say Timmy's making a full recovery. He'll be released soon and then he'll get his prosthetic."
"Yes, Father will be home soon." Artemis nodded and tried to disguise his frown. Orion noticed this.
You can't say?
Not to my parents, no.
What is it? Artemis contemplated telling Orion, then reasoned that there was no way Orion could tell anyone else about this anyway and so explained.
As you may know, I've done some criminal things to fund the search for my father and the family fortune. He was found last year and is almost ready to come home, but… he changed. He wasn't the same man I once knew, thanks to fairy magic. He doesn't care about the family fortune anymore and I don't want my parents discovering everything I've done to keep the finances afloat. Artemis gave a mental sigh, I'm worried of what will happen if he finds out.
So, he wants to be nice and you stay bad-nice? Artemis rolled his eyes.
As terrible as you put it, yes. Orion nodded again.
Hide everything.
Don't you think I haven't thought of that? Artemis mused over it again, He won't be actively looking for anything, though. I guess it could work.
Of course. You think too much.
And you don't think enough.
HEY-
"Arty?" The boy was taken out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Mo- Mum?" It would take a while to get used to that.
"Is something wrong, sweetie? You were thinking for a while."
"Nothing's wrong." He leaned into her side, "You know how I like to think."
"Yes, just like your father." She put an arm around him, "Just don't think too much, Arty. Do you remember what I told you at the hospital, how your father is now the same as he was when I fell in love with him? I don't want you to grow up to be the man he became because I know there's more to you than that. If he can be a kind man, so can you, sweetie." She gave him a kiss on the head before complimenting him on his new choice of clothes. Artemis barely listened, glad to be with his mother and trying to understand what she just told him. A purr-like growl built up in his throat but he kept it quiet, not wanting her to know. He wanted her to never know his new secret. Fairies, he was sure she'd understand, but being a werewolf? That was something else entirely and also something he'd have to learn how to deal with in secret once his father had returned. Orion could help, but what if things got out-of-control, what if the wolf wasn't everything he seemed? Things were just getting better and better...
Foaly was doing some more research on werewolves when Commander Root decided to come in, causing the centaur to quickly hide everything before he could see. Sure he trusted Root, but not everyone was on Artemis' side. Especially when it came to moonrunners.
"Holly have anything yet?"
"No sir, but she's working on it."
"Any attacks?"
"Only on wildlife." Foaly brought up the reports that had helped locate the werewolf, "But Commander, there's just something not right about this."
"It's a moonrunner, Foaly. We go in, catch it, take it out."
"That's not my point, Julius." The centaur pointed to some of the reports on the screen, "There hasn't been a moonrunner around for a century. Why now?"
"Don't call my Julius." snapped the Commander, "But I see your point. You don't suppose it could be humans trying to dabble in magic again?" Foaly shrugged.
"Most of it is as good as swear toad dung, but you never know." Humans had lost their capacity for magic long, long ago, but sometimes instances of it would crop up, usually when the human was trying to play with 'witch' stuff ('Fire burn and cauldron bubble' ring a bell?) or the occult. You never knew with humans, "Could also be from down here."
"Anything trying to get to the surface usually gets burned on the way up. I don't think a moonrunner came from underground."
"Their healing abilities are absolutely wild, but that's pretty true. Maybe..." Foaly grew quiet, and when the centaur grew quiet, Root knew he had something big on him mind.
"'Maybe?'"
"This is just a theory, but you don't think some of the fairies down here could be working on something like that? Like what happened with the grafts?" Root snorted.
"Don't know who'd be crazy enough to pilot that kind of plan. Except for Opal, but she's been in a coma for weeks now."
"Doesn't mean she couldn't have thought this up before hand for some reason." Foaly brought up some records for Koboi Labs, "I think I'm gonna look into it and see if she's been hiding anything from us."
"Good luck with that, pony boy." said Root, "I've got my own things to do, like keeping the Council from sending out Retrieval prematurely." Foaly could understand that. Many fairies hated werewolves and it was taking a lot of effort for Root to keep the Council back. If they sent Retrieval in without marking the moonrunner, they could possibly risk going into a situation where they'd get themselves killed or, worse, cursed. There could even be a whole pack in the Fowl Manor woods and they wouldn't know it until it was too late. The last time Retrieval had gone in without Recon was against Butler. They wouldn't make the same mistake again, especially against werewolves. And once Root was gone, Foaly brought up what he'd been researching before: ways to cure werewolves. He wouldn't say he was a friend to Artemis, but there was no reason for the Mud Boy to die. He hadn't actively gone out and gotten bitten like some idiots. And he was a nice kid if you tried looking at him in the right way. He'd had no choice in the matter. Foaly paused in his typing.
Is this how other werewolves feel when we try hunting them down? he wondered. They also had no choice in the matter of getting cursed, yet the LEP hunted them down, but it was for their own good. So why didn't he and Holly just turn Artemis in? Had the Mud Boy truly become their friend? Well, with everything Foaly was trying to do to keep others from finding out that Artemis was now a werewolf, he hoped this was worth it.
Wrote part of this while sleep deprived in one sitting. Yay me.
I don't really have any notes except one: The grafts mentioned above aren't mine, I took the concept from wolfraven80's AF story Hunter Hunted, which was really good. Essentially they're mismatched animals created with tons of magic, such as chimeras, gryphons, and the like. I take no credit for the grafts, they and the concept belong to wolfraven80.
Happy (belated) 4th of July to you all and I hope to have the next chapter out again soon! Please read & review!
